Court Hears Chilling Testimony of Teen Survivor from Shakahola Cult

A 17-year-old witness testified in a Mombasa court about her harrowing experience surviving solely on water for 38 days in Shakahola Forest before police rescued her.

Now under state protection, the teenager shared a chilling account of her forced removal from school and her subsequent life in the starvation cult led by Paul Mackenzie.

In her testimony before Mombasa Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku, the minor detailed how her mother withdrew her from school in Grade 4 in 2020 without her father’s consent.

“I remember the day my mother picked me up from school; it was on a Friday. She brought me to Mombasa, and we attended church at Mlango Wa Saba in Mshomoroni, one of Mackenzie’s branches,” she said.

By September 2020, the family had moved to Furunzi in Malindi and began attending Paul Mackenzie’s church. Mackenzie preached against education, advising his followers to sell their possessions and avoid medical treatment.

“In October, we learned about land available in Chakama. My mother bought two acres, and we relocated to Shakahola,” she recounted.

Move to Shakahola

The minor testified that her mother sold all their belongings except for a mattress and some utensils. “On the day we moved to Shakahola, we spent the night at Malindi Furunzi church. Mackenzie’s followers were transported in a lorry named ‘Times TV the Final Trumpet,’ with Mackenzie on board,” she added.

Upon arriving in Shakahola, they settled in a village called Galilea, initially living in tents before transitioning to temporary structures. “We were allocated land by Mackenzie’s guards, including Alex, one of the accused,” she said.

The minor revealed that Mackenzie selected her to spread his message door-to-door. “There was no church in the forest; we held meetings in a village called Judea. I was assigned the role of a servant to preach door-to-door,” she explained.

In 2023, Mackenzie instructed his followers to start fasting under what he termed an “Express Lockdown.” The minor testified, “I witnessed the deaths of six children from our village. Mackenzie announced their deaths during Saturday meetings to motivate others to fast and expedite their own deaths.”

She disclosed that she was coerced into fasting for 38 days before authorities intervened. “I had to steal water to drink whenever my mother left the house,” she said.

Paul Mackenzie faces charges of murder, child torture, and terrorism related to the deaths of over 400 people. The trial of Mackenzie and his 94 co-accused for manslaughter resumed on Monday.